356 CLIMATE. 



Perhaps a comparison of the number of rainy days, or days on 

 which not less than y^^ of an inch of rain were measured, may help 

 us to form a more definite conclusion. It will be seen that at Santa 

 Anna and Ugi there were much the same number of rainy days, 182 

 in the former island and 178 in the latter, or in round numbers about 

 half the total number of days in the year were rainy.^ At Santa 

 Anna, during the prevalence of the trade wind, there were on the 

 average 15 rainy days per month, and at Ugi 13 per month ; whilst 

 during the months from December to April inclusive, when westerly 

 and variable winds prevailed, there were 18 rainy days per month at 

 Santa Anna, and 11) per month at Ugi ; so that we may infer that in 

 this year of 1883 there were fewer rainy days per m.onth during the 

 prevalence of the south-east trade, i.e., from May to November, than 

 during the period of westerly and variable winds, i.e., from Decem- 

 "ber to April. 



I come now to the subject of the greatest daily fall of rain in this 

 eastern end of the group. On the 13th of June, 1883, 7'73 inches 

 were registered at Santa Anna ; whilst at Ugi on the same day only 

 an inch and a half of rain fell, a circumstance showing how confined 

 in their areas some heavy rainfalls may be. At Ugi the heaviest 

 daily fall of 5"75 inches was recorded on the 28th of January of this 

 same year ; whilst at Santa Anna only a little more than two inches 

 ell on this day ; and here is another proof of the restricted locality 

 of heavy rainfalls. On the 20th of November, 1882, when H.M..S. 

 " Lark " was off tlie east end of St. Christoval, 5"74< inches of rain 

 fell on the ship ; whilst only a small amount of rain was measured 



at Santa Anna and U^ri With reference to the character 



of the rain in this ]iart of the Solomon Group, I may remark that 

 as in other tropical legions it is very heavy. A fall of an inch in an 

 hour is ver}'' fiequent during a rain-squall ; but not uncommonly the 

 rain falls far more heavily. Thus, on one occasion on board H.M.S, 

 " Lark," when in this ]mrt of the group, 2'90 inches fell in an hour ; 

 and at another time 1'03 inches fell in 25 minutes, and on another 

 occasion an inch fell in half-an-hour. 



But inasmuch as Tieavy falls of rain are not peculiar to the 

 tropics, since far greater falls than those above named have occurred 

 in temperate Europe, we can only judge of the character of the 



^ From the record of the rainy days during tlic six months from June to November of the 

 previous year (1882), it apjiears that at least 110 days were rainy. During the same months 

 ■of the following year, only 84 days were rainy. 



